Born to a Catholic mother and a pagan father, Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430) struggled with his own spiritual beliefs for years before finally embracing Christianity when he was in his early thirties. After his conversion, Augustine went on to become a bishop and one of the most influential theologians in the church’s history.
According to Augustine’s famous autobiography, The Confessions, he was born in the city of Tagaste, in the Roman province of northern Africa (present-day Algeria). As a teenager, he moved to Carthage and quickly succumbed, as he wrote in The Confessions, to “wickedness and the carnal corruptions”—sex, alcohol, and theft.
But lust and debauchery, Augustine soon discovered, didn’t satisfy what he referred to as his “hidden hunger” for meaning in life. He first converted to Manichaeism, but eventually became disillusioned. He was intrigued by Christianity and accepted a job as a rhetoric teacher in the Italian city of Milan, where he came into closer contact with leading Catholic thinkers.
Still, it took Augustine years to fully accept Christianity and give up his past. “Lord, give me chastity,” he famously prayed, “but not yet.” He finally converted in 386.
Returning to Africa, the convert was made the bishop of Hippo Regius, a city on the Mediterranean coast. In Hippo, he wrote many of his most influential works, including The Confessions and The City of God, a primer on basic Christian beliefs.
Augustine’s writings helped shape Catholic doctrine on a variety of topics, including baptism, original sin, and just war. He also tried to bridge the gap between ancient philosophy and Christianity by writing treatises that sought to reconcile Plato (c. 429–347 BC) and Aristotle (384–322 BC) with the Gospels. Turning his back on the sexual adventures of his youth, Augustine also became firmly conservative in his views on sex and women.
In historical terms, Augustine’s writings reflected the growing sophistication of Christian thought as the once-outlawed faith was transformed into the official state religion of the Roman Empire. Indeed, Augustine’s fate was intertwined with Rome’s decline: He died in 430 during a siege of Hippo, shortly before the Roman outpost was captured by Vandals.
ADDITIONAL FACTS
- In recognition of his rowdy lifestyle before he converted to Christianity, Augustine is considered the patron saint of brewers. His feast day is commemorated on August 28.
- Augustine’s hometown of Hippo Regius is now known as Annaba, a large city on Algeria’s Mediterranean coast.
- He is one of thirty-three Doctors of the Church recognized by the Vatican.
